As our Lord explained the meaning of this great parable, He moved His attention to the seed sown
among the thorns. His explanation is as follows: “As for what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the
word but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,
and it proves unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22).
Whereas the along-the-path heart simply does
not believe, and the rocky ground heart almost immediately succumbs to
persecution, the among-the-thorns heart just has too many things on its plate
all of which take preference over God.
It is folly to conclude that the person
described here never takes the outward actions of becoming a Christian or never
darkens the doorway of a meetinghouse. This person may very well be sitting
right next to us in the worship assembly week in and week out. This person may
word some beautiful prayers and deliver some well-organized talks. Perhaps he even
teaches some Bible classes. However, one does not necessarily need any zeal or enthusiasm
for the Lord to perform these outward actions. Herein lies the problem with the
Christian whose heart dwells among the thorns. Worldliness has zapped him of
spiritual joy and zeal.
Even as he sings hymns his thoughts turn to
worldly matters. Even as he bows his head to pray the cares of the world
dominate his heart. Though his body is present to worship the God of Heaven,
his heart is busy bowing to the gods of wealth and worldliness. He goes through
the outward motions, yet his devotion to the things of this world proves him
unfruitful.
James gives us some important thoughts to
consider in James 1:9-11. “Let the lowly
brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like
a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching
heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also
will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” James calls upon
both lowly and wealthy saints to view their lot in light of eternity. Though
the lowly Christian appears to have very little going for him in this life He
can comfort himself in the knowledge that his faithfulness and trust in the
Lord prepares for him an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). The rich
saint must understand that even though his wealth affords him the finer things
in this life, he must still rely upon the Lord’s grace and mercy for his
salvation. His wealth offers no spiritual security whatever. Indeed, it makes
maintaining an eternal perspective that much more difficult.
Please notice that James turns his attention
from the wealthy brother to the wealthy in general in verse 11. There he makes
the point that the rich man fades away in
the midst of his pursuits. As he focuses so much time and attention upon
acquiring more stuff his spirit
remains unattended and forgotten. As his physical life prospers and thrives,
his spiritual life shrivels and dies. His devotion to worldly pursuits is death
to his soul (Luke 12:16-21). The deceitfulness of riches, indeed!
Neither Jesus nor His disciples ever spoke
against a person simply because they were wealthy. They always spoke against those whose entire lives consisted of
acquiring more stuff. It was not without reason that Jesus said it was easier
for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for a rich person to inherit
the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:23-26). Divided loyalty is no loyalty at all
for our Lord Jesus also said, “he who is
not with me (completely, totally, unfailingly, wholly) is against me.” (Matthew 12:30a). The among-the-thorns heart must
come to understand that all the wealth in the world does not suffice to pay the
value of a single soul (Matthew 16:26).
I mentioned earlier that this brother might be
sitting right next to us as we worship the Lord. Let us beware that he is not
sitting in our very seat!
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